An Anatomy of European Information Systems Research ECIS 1993 - 2002: Some Initial Findings

This paper reflects on European research on information systems as presented during the first ten years of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Based on an analysis of all papers published in the ECIS proceedings during the period 1993–2002, the paper presents initial findings regarding key aspects of European IS research activity

Relationships between ERP leadership competences and perceived client satisfaction and moderating effect of implementation context

The current thesis focuses on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementations, investigating the significance of ERP managers’ leadership competences on perceived client satisfaction and how the ERP context moderates that relationship. It reviews the impact of contextual problems and the hurdles to be circumvented during the implementation and their influence on ERP leaders’ ability to achieve perceived client satisfaction. In doing so, the current study attempts to remedy the dearth of literature considering context in relation to ERP leadership and client satisfaction; moreover, adding further support to the foundations of the Contingency Theory - applied in the ERP context - by proposing a model of ERP leadership competence-based theory of perceived client satisfaction. As noted by Saxena and McDonagh (2019) user perception and user satisfaction are considered highly crucial for implementation success in both research literature (Chevers, 2018; Mekadmi and Louati, 2018) and by implementing organisations (Sumner, 2018). Likewise, a considerable amount of research has been conducted into critical success factors, or CSFs, for ERP implementations (e.g. Holland & Light, 1999; Sumner, 1999; Willcocks & Sykes, 2000; Ram & Corkindale, 2014; Costa, Ferreira & Aparicio, 2016; Vargas & Comuzzi, 2019). However, for the current research it has been identified that bringing context into the picture will help to focus such discussions and help converge findings to much more generalisable and useable outcomes and proposals. The ERP implementation train, due to its heavy dependence on Business and Information Technology (IT) skills, would typically have onboard, a diverse multicultural people, a disparate set of processes and several unrelated traditional systems and technologies, all led and driven along the implementation journey by the manager, usually referred to as: project manager, program manager, implementation manager, project leader, and other possible names based on the role definitions set out for a particular implementation. The implementation would normally play out within the organisational dynamics of the day, referred to in the current work as the ERP implementation context. The research employs a quantitative approach. An initial pilot study was conducted, using six semi-structured interviews with ERP program and project management practitioners in Sweden, Germany, Canada, United States and the United Kingdom. The six interviewees were all experienced program and project managers who have managed ERP implementations for several years. Each interview took roughly one hour. The aim of the study was to generate vi insights from practitioners to be used in building preliminary constructs for the concepts in the research model, such as the ERP implementation context, managers’ competences and client satisfaction. Results from the pilot study were used as a basis for development of the latter questionnaire distributed to gather data on managers’ leadership competences, ERP implementation context and perceived client satisfaction. In all, 83 responses were further analysed to test the hypotheses using quantitative analysis techniques including factor analysis and moderated hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that the competences: Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Performance, Follower Commitment, Team and Peer Cooperation and Project Management Knowledge are significant predictors of Perceived Client Satisfaction (PCSAT), with Follower Commitment as the strongest predictor of PCSAT. No significant effects were noted for Delivery Capabilities and Offshore Team Relations. The research also found that moderators: Resource Availability Problems, Cultural problems and External Partnership Problems showed highly significant impacts on the strength of the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable with Resource Availability problems showing significance across three of the moderated regression analyses carried out. However, cultural problems showed the highest singular significance as a moderator on the relationship between Follower commitment and Perceived Client Satisfaction. The study adds further support to the foundations of Contingency theory by providing a Model of ERP Leadership-Competence-based Theory of Perceived Client Satisfaction. It is expected that further contributions may be found when harnessing the outcomes of the study to develop required leadership competences to positively affect and tackle problems arising from an ERP implementation context. Furthermore, as follower commitment is illuminated as a highly important antecedent to perceived client satisfaction, to use this information to both select implementation team members and to influence the commitment of the team positively

The English Patent System and Early Railway Technology 1800-1852

This thesis examines the relationship between the English patent system and early railway-related inventive activity, and it is proposed that the patent system influenced the rate and direction of early railway technology. Contrary to the current historiography of the patent system, it is argued that prior to the Patent Law Amendment Act (1852), in the absence of substantive Parliamentary intervention, the judiciary crafted and shaped the principles of patent law which provided certainty and security for patentees. Inventors involved in railway-related technology found great utility in a unique patent system which they used, relied upon, and promoted to their peers. The requirement post-1733 for a specification to be filed with a patent application, contributed to the origins of what today might be termed knowledge management. The patent system engendered a developing database of technical knowledge that was codified, controlled, circulated and commercially exploited. Profit was a key motive for those who patented railway-related inventions, which often involved high expenditure, of both time and money, and the patent system secured vital monopoly profits. The pecuniary advantage offered by an effective patent system served to incentivise the development and diffusion of early railway technology. This thesis demonstrates the value of industry-specific analysis of the workings of the patent system. The early railways are recognised as a fully cultural artefact, an approach that provides insights into the technological processes and economic development of the early railways, and since nascent railway technology was but one of several emerging, interwoven technologies, the investigation extends beyond the railway proper. These proposals are tested by reference to contemporary evidence relating to the professional engineering enterprises of George and Robert Stephenson, Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel and a number of individuals of less renown, whose patented inventive activity met the demands of the emerging railways

Web information systems: A study of maintenance, change and flexibility

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Information Systems (IS’s) have provided organisations with huge efficiency gains and benefits over the years; however an outstanding problem that is yet to be successfully tackled is that of the troublesome maintenance phase. Consuming vast resources and thwarting business progression in a competitive global market place, system maintenance has been recognised as one of the key areas where IS is failing organisations. Organisations are too often faced with the dilemma of either replacement or the continual upkeep of an unwieldy system. The ability for IS’s to be able to adapt to exogenous influences is even more acute today than at any time in the past. This is due to IS’s namely, Web Information Systems (WIS’s) increasingly and continually having to accommodate the needs of organisations to interconnect with a plethora of additional systems as well as supporting evolving business models. The richness of the interconnectivity, functionalities and services WIS’s now offer are shaping social, cultural and economic behaviour on a truly global scale, making the maintenance of such systems and evermore pertinent issue. The growth and proliferation of WIS’s shows no sign of abating which leads to the conclusion that what some have termed as the ‘maintenance iceberg’ should not be ignored. The quandary that commercial organisations face is typically driven by two key aspects; firstly, systems are built on the cultural premise of using fixed requirements, with not enough thought or attention being paid to systems abilities to deviate from these requirements. Secondly, systems do not generally cope well with adapting to unpredictable change arising from outside of the organisations environment. Over the recent past, different paradigms, approaches and methods have attempted to make software development more predictable, controllable and adaptable, however, the benefits of such measures in relation to the maintenance dilemma have been limited. The concept of flexible systems that are able to cope with such change in an efficient manner is currently an objective that few can claim to have realised successfully. The primary focus of the thesis was to examine WIS post-development change in order to empirically substantiate and understand the nature of the maintenance phase. This was done with the intention to determine exactly ‘where’ and ‘how’ flexibility could be targeted to address these changes. This study uses an emergent analytical approach to identify and catalogue the nature of change occurring within WIS maintenance. However, the research framework design underwent a significant revision as the initial results indicated that a greater emphasis and refocus was required to achieve the research objective. To study WIS’s in an appropriate and detailed context, a single case study was conducted in a web development software house. In total the case study approach was used to collect empirical evidence from four projects that investigated post-development change requests in order to identify areas of the system susceptible to change. The maintenance phases of three WIS projects were considered in-depth, resulting in the collection of over four hundred change requests. The fourth project served as a validation case. The results are presented and the findings are used to identify key trends and characteristics that depict WIS maintenance change. The analytical information derived from the change requests is consolidated and shown diagrammatically for the key areas of change using profile models developed in this thesis. Based on the results, the thesis concludes and contributes to the ongoing debate that there is a discernable difference when considering WIS maintenance change compared to that of traditional IS maintenance. The detailed characteristics displayed in the profile models are then used to map specific flexibility criteria that ultimately are required to facilitate change. This is achieved using the Flexibility Matrix of Change (FMoC) tool which was developed within the remit of this research. This tool is a qualitative measurement scheme that aligns WIS maintenance changes to a reciprocal flexibility attribute. Thus, the wider aim of this thesis is to also expand the awareness of flexibility and its importance as a key component of the WIS lifecycle

A decision enhancement studio for water asset management

Een studio ter verbetering van beslissingen op het gebied van waterassetbeheer (Decision Enhancement Studio for Water Asset Management) Het veelvoorkomende probleem van non-revenue water (NRW), dat waterbedrijven in veel transitielanden voortdurend verliezen oplevert, gaf de aanzet tot een innovatieve aanpak. Uit eerste studies blijkt dat een van de grootste uitdagingen waarvoor deze waterbedrijven zich gesteld zien, ondoeltreffende besluitvorming is op het gebied van assetbeheer, in het bijzonder onderhoudsbeheer, met betrekking tot de waterinfrastructuur. Dit heeft geleid tot problemen als lekkages in leidingstelsels, een verouderende infrastructuur en grote hoeveelheden NRW. In deze ontwerpgerichte studie wordt een Decision Enhancement Studio for Water Asset Management geïntroduceerd in de vorm van een verzameling diensten en recepten. De studio kan worden gebruikt om de besluitvorming binnen een team duidelijk in kaart te brengen en te structureren, de kosten voor communicatie en voor de toegang tot informatie terug te dringen, en teams die samen toewerken naar een doel zo weinig mogelijk afleiding te bieden. De kennis in het gebruik van de DES-WAM is tot stand gekomen door de DES-WAM te ontwerpen, concretiseren en evalueren in samenwerking met sectormanagers in drie waterbedrijven in Kenia en Oeganda. De evaluatie-uitkomsten hebben aangetoond dat de studio nuttig is omdat deze betere beslissingen oplevert die leiden tot minder NRW, minder lekkage, betere brandbestrijdingsmogelijkheden, een kortere reactietijd, minder materiële schade, minder besmettingsgevaar en een stabielere waterdruk. De DES-WAM biedt een nieuwe theoretische en praktische benadering van waterassetbeheer die rechtstreeks gericht is op het onderhoudsbeheer en verder gaat dan technische ondersteuning door richtlijnen aan te reiken over hoe belanghebbenden gezamenlijk beslissingen op het gebied van waterassetbeheer kunnen voorbereiden

Strategic planning for information systems: A sociotechnical view of boundary and stakeholder insufficiencies

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 12/11/2002.The thesis proposes that Strategic Planning for Information Systems (SPIS) has become ineffective through a tendency to focus on the information technologies involved. The thesis argues that the dominant rational, reductionist epistemology of SPIS methods, tools and techniques limits the effectiveness of SPIS through methodological impoverishment. The thesis proposes that a humanistic, sociotechnical perspective of SPIS accommodates the use of complementary tools and techniques that improve the process. This thesis advances a new Framework to improve the process of SPIS based on the propositions; first that the lack of sufficient knowledge of both the internal and external environment is a root cause of many of these insufficiencies, and second that this knowledge is held within the stakeholders of this process. An ernancipatory information systems research programme (Klein and Hirschheim, 1987) is used to advance a framework that overcomes the insufficiency and inadequacy of the process of strategic planning for information systems in organisations that permits information systems to fail. The framework is tested on two organisations and shows that the proposed Framework has significant potential to improve the SPIS process. The case research investigates the role of stakeholders, knowledge, and boundaries in the process of SPIS in order to develop more sufficient methods for the process of SPIS that address the perceived inadequacies in current processes, and thus provide an improved strategic planning process for information systems. Two novel tools are introduced: the Stakeholder Web and the Interaction Matrix. Their evolution is a major contribution of this research. The collection of tools presents a practical research contribution for the SPIS process and as generic (methodological) research tools. A new definition for the term 'stakeholder' is formulated and used to supply clarity in understanding for this study - and would prove useful for the field of IS

Examining the post-adoptive infusion of mobile technology in a healthcare domain: determinants and outcomes

The healthcare industry is beginning to appreciate the benefits which can be obtained from using Mobile Health Systems (MHS) at the point-of-care. As a result, healthcare organisations are investing heavily in mobile health initiatives with the expectation that users will employ the system to enhance performance. Despite widespread endorsement and support for the implementation of MHS, empirical evidence surrounding the benefits of MHS remains to be fully established. For MHS to be truly valuable, it is argued that the technological tool be infused within healthcare practitioners work practices and used to its full potential in post-adoptive scenarios. Yet, there is a paucity of research focusing on the infusion of MHS by healthcare practitioners. In order to address this gap in the literature, the objective of this study is to explore the determinants and outcomes of MHS infusion by healthcare practitioners. This research study adopts a post-positivist theory building approach to MHS infusion. Existing literature is utilised to develop a conceptual model by which the research objective is explored. Employing a mixed-method approach, this conceptual model is first advanced through a case study in the UK whereby propositions established from the literature are refined into testable hypotheses. The final phase of this research study involves the collection of empirical data from a Canadian hospital which supports the refined model and its associated hypotheses. The results from both phases of data collection are employed to develop a model of MHS infusion. The study contributes to IS theory and practice by: (1) developing a model with six determinants (Availability, MHS Self-Efficacy, Time-Criticality, Habit, Technology Trust, and Task Behaviour) and individual performance-related outcomes of MHS infusion (Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Learning), (2) examining undocumented determinants and relationships, (3) identifying prerequisite conditions that both healthcare practitioners and organisations can employ to assist with MHS infusion, (4) developing a taxonomy that provides conceptual refinement of IT infusion, and (5) informing healthcare organisations and vendors as to the performance of MHS in post-adoptive scenarios

Experts on e-learning: insights gained from listening to the student voice!

The Student Experience of e-Learning Laboratory (SEEL) project at the University of Greenwich was designed to explore and then implement a number of approaches to investigate learners’ experiences of using technology to support their learning. In this paper members of the SEEL team present initial findings from a University-wide survey of nearly a 1000 students. A selection of 90 ‘cameos’, drawn from the survey data, offer further insights into personal perceptions of e-learning and illustrate the diversity of students experiences. The cameos provide a more coherent picture of individual student experience based on the totality of each person’s responses to the questionnaire. Finally, extracts from follow-up case studies, based on interviews with a small number of students, allow us to ‘hear’ the student voice more clearly. Issues arising from an analysis of the data include student preferences for communication and social networking tools, views on the ‘smartness’ of their tutors’ uses of technology and perceptions of the value of e-learning. A primary finding and the focus of this paper, is that students effectively arrive at their own individualised selection, configuration and use of technologies and software that meets their perceived needs. This ‘personalisation’ does not imply that such configurations are the most efficient, nor does it automatically suggest that effective learning is occurring. SEEL reminds us that learners are individuals, who approach learning both with and without technology in their own distinctive ways. Hearing, understanding and responding to the student voice is fundamental in maximising learning effectiveness. Institutions should consider actively developing the capacity of academic staff to advise students on the usefulness of particular online tools and resources in support of learning and consider the potential benefits of building on what students already use in their everyday lives. Given the widespread perception that students tend to be ‘digital natives’ and academic staff ‘digital immigrants’ (Prensky, 2001), this could represent a considerable cultural challenge

Web information systems : a study of maintenance, change and flexibility

Information Systems (IS’s) have provided organisations with huge efficiency gains and benefits over the years; however an outstanding problem that is yet to be successfully tackled is that of the troublesome maintenance phase. Consuming vast resources and thwarting business progression in a competitive global market place, system maintenance has been recognised as one of the key areas where IS is failing organisations. Organisations are too often faced with the dilemma of either replacement or the continual upkeep of an unwieldy system. The ability for IS’s to be able to adapt to exogenous influences is even more acute today than at any time in the past. This is due to IS’s namely, Web Information Systems (WIS’s) increasingly and continually having to accommodate the needs of organisations to interconnect with a plethora of additional systems as well as supporting evolving business models. The richness of the interconnectivity, functionalities and services WIS’s now offer are shaping social, cultural and economic behaviour on a truly global scale, making the maintenance of such systems and evermore pertinent issue. The growth and proliferation of WIS’s shows no sign of abating which leads to the conclusion that what some have termed as the ‘maintenance iceberg’ should not be ignored. The quandary that commercial organisations face is typically driven by two key aspects; firstly, systems are built on the cultural premise of using fixed requirements, with not enough thought or attention being paid to systems abilities to deviate from these requirements. Secondly, systems do not generally cope well with adapting to unpredictable change arising from outside of the organisations environment. Over the recent past, different paradigms, approaches and methods have attempted to make software development more predictable, controllable and adaptable, however, the benefits of such measures in relation to the maintenance dilemma have been limited. The concept of flexible systems that are able to cope with such change in an efficient manner is currently an objective that few can claim to have realised successfully. The primary focus of the thesis was to examine WIS post-development change in order to empirically substantiate and understand the nature of the maintenance phase. This was done with the intention to determine exactly ‘where’ and ‘how’ flexibility could be targeted to address these changes. This study uses an emergent analytical approach to identify and catalogue the nature of change occurring within WIS maintenance. However, the research framework design underwent a significant revision as the initial results indicated that a greater emphasis and refocus was required to achieve the research objective. To study WIS’s in an appropriate and detailed context, a single case study was conducted in a web development software house. In total the case study approach was used to collect empirical evidence from four projects that investigated post-development change requests in order to identify areas of the system susceptible to change. The maintenance phases of three WIS projects were considered in-depth, resulting in the collection of over four hundred change requests. The fourth project served as a validation case. The results are presented and the findings are used to identify key trends and characteristics that depict WIS maintenance change. The analytical information derived from the change requests is consolidated and shown diagrammatically for the key areas of change using profile models developed in this thesis. Based on the results, the thesis concludes and contributes to the ongoing debate that there is a discernable difference when considering WIS maintenance change compared to that of traditional IS maintenance. The detailed characteristics displayed in the profile models are then used to map specific flexibility criteria that ultimately are required to facilitate change. This is achieved using the Flexibility Matrix of Change (FMoC) tool which was developed within the remit of this research. This tool is a qualitative measurement scheme that aligns WIS maintenance changes to a reciprocal flexibility attribute. Thus, the wider aim of this thesis is to also expand the awareness of flexibility and its importance as a key component of the WIS lifecycle.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo